Production of propionitrile



atented Nov.

2,334,146) raopnc'rron or rrmm'r Charles W in: i

1' Delaware tin No Drawing. Application Feb Serial No. 231,657

propionitrile by the reduction 01' acrylonitrile.

The reduction of acrylonitrile to propionitrile is described in the literature, for example, in Reppe 8: Hofimann U. S. Patent 1,891,055. That patent describes carrying out the reduction with hydrogen in the presence of a copper catalyst. It states that satisfactory results are not obtained with a pyrophoric catalyst.

According to this invention, a pyrophoric cata-- lyst is employed and highly satisfactory results are obtained. For example, a yield of about 90% of a commercially pure product is obtained. Methacrylomt'rile can butyronitrile with the same pyrophoric' catalyst although the yield obtainable in this reduction operation has not been determined. The invention is limited to the reduction of acrylonitrile. The catalyst used is the nickel catalyst known as Raney nickel.

As illustrative of the invention, 106 parts by weight of acrylonitrile dissolved in 108 parts .by weight 01' ether were treated with hydrogen in thepresence oi Raney nickel. During the reaction the pressure varied from about 6 tov 70 atmospheres. The reaction was started at room not Corporation,

F. W, Pittsburgh. Pa... lr to n, Uhlc, a corporap (or. 260-464) 'l'hisIinvention relates to the productionof temperature. In minutes the temperature had risen to C. as a result of the heat of the reaction and sufilcient hydrogen had been taken up to, saturate the double bond. Distillation of the products gave 99 parts of propionitrile with a boiling point of -96 C. This was a 90% yield.

v Commercially pressures of 6 to atmospheres similarly be reduced to isowill be employed. In general temperatures between about 20 and 75 C. will be used.

I claim:

1. The process of reducing acrylonitrile to propionitrile which comprises hydrogenating acrylonitrile under a pressure of about 120 atmospheres in the presence of Raney nickel as a catalyst, starting the reaction at room temperature and allowing the temperature to rise while adding to the can to saturate the double bond'of the acrylo group.

2. The process or reducing acrylonitrile to propionitrile which comprises hydrogenating a solution of acrylonitrlle at a pressure 01' at least 6 atmospheres and at a. temperature between 20 C.,and 75 C. in the presence of Raney nickel as a catalyst.

CHARIES F. WINANS.

reaction mixture sufilcient hydro-- 

